Barely There
by princesscatie21
Summary: Cole and Phoebe are married, and he is now a Whitelighter, and so is Prue...
1. Default Chapter

Barely There  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed or any of the characters, so please don't sue me! Plus, I'm only 13, so you wouldn't get a lot of money.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Phoebe sat on the beach, just staring into the water, as if she was searching for something.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"Phoebe, I have to go. You know that I do, or all of us will die. I love you, and I always will." Cole told Phoebe as he prepared to shimmer out.  
  
"Please Cole.I don't want to lose you again. Please don't go!"  
  
"I have to. Don't worry about me, I'll be back.in one way or another."  
  
Phoebe reached up and threw her arms around his neck, then whispered in his ear so that only he could hear her say "I love you." He gently untangled himself from her, and then shimmered out, all the time his eyes on hers.  
  
*End of Flashback*  
  
She knew she wasn't acting like herself, but she couldn't help it, and she didn't know why. Many times, she had thought about committing suicide, but never actually did. She figured that it would just be easier for everyone, including herself. Her emotions had been on a rollercoaster ride lately, from being heartbroken when Cole died, to happiness when he came back, and confusion all of the time. And on top of all that, there were the incessant demon attacks to worry about. Her life was so complicated; she thought that it would be easier to end it. Even after Cole came back as a Whitelighter after being vanquished by a more powerful demon than he was, she couldn't get back to just being happy about her life and the simple pleasures of it. She was in a complete daze all of the time, and barely noticed when Piper had Wyatt and he turned into a girl. Her only consolation was being on the beach alone. When she got back from these beach trips, her eyes were red and puffy, so that everyone could tell that she had been crying, but she would never tell anyone why. After few weeks of this, everyone became extremely concerned. Everyone tried to get through to her, but not even Cole could, until one day when a mysterious light being popped into her room suddenly.  
  
"I know how to end all of your pain, just take my hand and all of your troubles will be gone."  
  
Slowly, shakily Phoebe reached out her hand, until she was almost touching her, and whispered a single word.  
  
"Mom?"  
  
A/N: Allright.I know this stinks right now, but stay with me here, it gets better.Please, please, please review, even if it is to tell me that it stinks.. 


	2. Fixing All Her Problems

Barely There  
  
Disclaimer: I'm only 13, so obviously I don't own any of the Charmed characters. Don't sue me.  
  
A/N-Sorry I didn't write more for so long, but I had writers block, then vacation, then the internet wasn't working and so on.anyway, here's the next chapter.  
  
Chapter 2-Fixing Problems  
  
"Yes honey, it's me. I need you to take my hand so that we can go and talk without disturbing your sisters and everyone."  
  
"Okay." Phoebe answered softly.  
  
She clutched her mother's hand and they floated upwards.  
  
"Wait.why are we in the attic?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"We need a spell to take us to Chicago." The words suddenly dawned on Phoebe, "Do you mean." she trailed off. "Yep." Patty answered.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Cole reached out subconsciously to hug Phoebe, but as he grasped empty air it woke him up.  
  
"Phoebe?" he said groggily. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, then looked around the room. He didn't see her. Automatically expecting the worst, he got out of bed and started running around the house looking for her. Finally after a half hour of searching, he sat down on the couch to think.  
  
Then he started muttering to himself, "Sensing! Duh. Why didn't I think of that before?"  
  
He tried to relax and pick out her voice from the many in his head.  
  
"Got her!"  
  
He orbed to where he thought she was, but saw no one.  
  
"SHIT!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Okay, we have to say it together. Ready?" Patty asked.  
  
"As ready as I'll ever be. Lets go." Phoebe replied.  
  
"Take me to, A place far or near, So that I can see, How I need to be."  
  
Soft white lights whirled around them, and they disappeared from the attic.  
  
A/N- I know that this is really short and all but the chapters are going to get longer.eventually.and I know the spell sucks but oh well.PLEASE REVIEW!! 


	3. The Whole Story

Barely There  
  
Disclaimer: I'm only 13, so obviously I don't own any of the Charmed characters. Don't sue me.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Phoebe landed hard on the concrete floor, and then rolled, losing her grip on her mother.  
  
"MOM?!?!?!?!" she cried out. "I'm right here honey." Patty called out in a reassuring voice. Phoebe sat up, dazed. "Where the hell are we?" she asked, looking around.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Piper ran up to the attic, and arrived at the same time as Paige, who had just orbed there.  
  
"Cole? What happened? We heard you scream."  
  
"Phoebe's gone Piper, I can't find her. I woke up and she wasn't there, so I went and looked all over the house looking for her, then I sensed her I the attic, and I orbed up here, but she was gone. And it's all my fault." Cole answered, his voice breaking. Piper walked over and hugged him.  
  
"Don't ever think that way Cole, it wasn't your fault." Paige said.  
  
"Yes it is! I was gone for 9 freaking months, I was gone when Phoebe needed me most, and now she's gone. If I had just listened to her that day, none of this would have happened and she would be here, happy." Cole replied before breaking down and sobbing quietly.  
  
Piper just rubbed his back and rocked him back and forth, whispering comforting words in his ear. When his sobs finally subsided, she started talking, "Cole, if you hadn't gone to find that demon, we would all be dead right now. You sacrificed your life for all of ours, because you are a good person. You didn't cause her pain; you made some of it go away. She loves you. She'll be back, in the meantime, lets wake up Leo, and he can go see if the Elders know anything while you calm down."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"After you left your baby girl" Patty started, but Phoebe interrupted "Parker." "Yes sweetie, Parker, the nuns found her a home with great parents, and a sister, but there was an accident. They were on vacation, rock climbing in the mountains, and the ledge that everyone was supported on broke and.they fell. There was no way that they could have survived the fall, but since Parker was so young, she stayed with daycare at the hotel, and was safe." Phoebe sat there with silent tears streaming down her face as she thought of how hard it must have been for her baby girl. "She was taken back to the orphanage, and adopted, but the people were only in it for the money and they abandoned her here."  
  
Phoebe processed this, then asked, "What happened to her after that?"  
  
"She was taken back to the church. That's where she is now." Patty answered in a soft voice.  
  
"So does that mean that I can get her back?" Phoebe asked in a faint voice.  
  
"Yes, you can, but right now you need to get home. Let's go sweetie." Patty told her  
  
They said the return spell and the white lights surrounded them and they ended up back in the attic.  
  
A/N-Alrighty then..Review..and then review some more..and some more..heehee! THANK YOU very very very very very much to everyone who reviewed! It really helps! 


	4. Back From The Trip

Barely There  
  
Disclaimer: If you honestly think that I actually own anything from Charmed, then you must be stealing my crack again.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Back at the Manor, everyone had gone back to bed, but no one could actually fall asleep. Leo had come back from "Elderland", and all they told him was that Phoebe was safe and was "meant to go on this journey."  
  
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Phoebe walked slowly down the stairs, trying to comprehend everything she had just found out. When she got to her shared bedroom with Cole, she opened the door and tiptoed up to the bed, then climbed in and snuggled up to Cole, who had finally fallen asleep. She closed her eyes, but she knew that she wouldn't be sleeping that night.  
  
Leo and Piper weren't sleeping either, but were talking quietly in the dark so that they wouldn't wake up Peggy (A/N okay remember how in the first chapter Wyatt turned into a girl? Yeah, well now he's Peggy. Ok.on with the story.)  
  
"What aren't you telling me Leo? I know that the Elders had to have told you more that that crap you told us earlier."  
  
Leo sighed, then surrendered and told Piper, "They told me that she had to go to Chicago to find out something so that she could fix her problems and get back on track. The person that took her to Chicago was.Patty. The Elders wanted Phoebe to tell you guys when she was ready to, which is why I didn't tell everyone else this."  
  
Piper just sat there staring at Leo in shock. "Mom.and Phoebe?...." she finally whispered in an amazed voice. "Wow. That's amazing." Peggy stirred, then rolled over in her sleep, jolting Piper back to her senses. "Let's go to bed, then tell Paige when she wakes up in the morning." Leo said, while laying down next to Piper.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Cole woke up the next morning and found Phoebe in his arms, just laying there watching him sleep.  
  
"Hey honey. Did you sleep well?" Phoebe asked, with an innocent look on her face.  
  
"Ha-nice try. Where were you last night? Why didn't you tell me? Did you think I would be mad? Are you mad at me?..."  
  
"Wait!! Too many questions at once, slow down!!! Okay-last night I was in Chicago, I didn't want to wake you up because it was the middle of the night, I don't know-are you mad??? And no, I'm not mad at you." Phoebe said calmly and rationally.  
  
"Okay.Chicago???? How did you get there? Who did you go with?" Cole said slowly.  
  
"Yep, Chicago. Spell and I went with mom." Phoebe said, her voice trailing off.  
  
"Mom as in.Patty? Wouldn't that be kinda hard, seeing as though she's dead?" Cole asked uncertainly.  
  
"Yep, but we did. Lets go get breakfast, I'm starving." Phoebe said, changing the subject quickly.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Piper, Leo, and Paige were all sitting at the kitchen table talking in quiet voices, but broke off abruptly when they heard footsteps on the stairs.  
  
"Hey guys! What's up?" Phoebe said in a cheery voice before sitting down at the table in Cole's lap.  
  
"Hey honey! Where were you last night?" Piper said with a falsely bright look on her face.  
  
"Ummmmmm.well.I was in Chicago. Heh." Phoebe replied.  
  
Piper and Paige exchanged a knowing glance before Leo and Cole bolted out of the room.  
  
"COLE! Get back here you coward!!! Cole! Grrrr.." Phoebe yelled before turning around to face her sisters. "So.guys.How's Leo, Piper?"  
  
"You are so not gonna get away with that!" Paige said.  
  
"What's going on with you? Going off alone, coming back crying.visits with dead relatives.We need to know what's happening. You're our sister and we love you. Please, tell us what's going on." Piper said in a funky voice.  
  
"Pretty please? With cherries on top?" Paige pleaded.  
  
"Okay." Phoebe said, surrendering.  
  
A/N-Sorry I haven't written in so long, but I had stuff to do.New boyfriend, homework, running, you know how it gets. Sorry again, and please review! 


	5. Telling The Truth

Barely There  
  
Disclaimer: I'm only 14, so if you think that I own Charmed then you must be stealing my weed again.  
  
Chapter 5  
  
A/N-Here it is guys, hope you like it!  
  
"Do you guys remember how after Cole died I left for awhile?" Phoebe said slowly but surely.  
  
"Uh, yeah Phoebs, how could we forget?!" Paige said dryly.  
  
Phoebe stuck her tongue out at Paige before continuing. "I went to Chicago and got a job as a receptionist for this dude who worked in a big company. Anyway, with the money from that, I rented an apartment in a good section of town."  
  
"Alright already, get to the good part!" Paige said impatiently.  
  
"PAIGE! That was mean! And stop interrupting, I wanna get to the good part!" Piper said.  
  
"Oh ha ha, you guys are so funny.... NOT!"  
  
"SORRY, SORRY, SORRY!!!!! KEEP TELLING PLEASE!!!" Paige shouted excitedly, worried that Phoebe would stop telling the story.  
  
"Mmkay, quit yelling already! Two months after Cole left to get the demon and save all of our lives, I found out that I was pregnant....obviously with his child. When I found out that he had died, the pain was unbearable, and I couldn't even begin to comprehend life without him, so I left. I was starting to accept the fact that he was gone, and that he wasn't coming back, and then the baby was born, on the exact due date, November 28. She had characteristics from both Cole and I, but the most striking things were her eyes, the same bright blue as Cole's were. Because I hadn't told you guys about the baby, and Cole was gone, I thought that my only chance was to put her up for adoption, to protect her from any harm, magical or otherwise. I brought her to a church, told the nuns that her name was Parker, and asked them to find her a home. Then I packed up and left Chicago, to come back here and face my inner demons. That's when Cole came back and everything started happening." Phoebe said, becoming quieter as the story went on, not wanting to tell her sisters about all of her pain and thoughts of suicide.  
  
"Wow...." Paige remarked in a whisper. "I never knew that you had to live through all that horror....and alone too....why didn't you stay with us? We could've helped you!"  
  
"I....Well....um....ah fuck, I didn't want your guy's pity. I know that it sounds stupid, but it's the truth, and I can't help how I felt. I am sorry that I didn't tell you before now, but that's how it is, so....are you mad at me?"  
  
"Of course we aren't, honey. All we want to do is help you, but you need to tell us how....do you want the baby back?" Piper said reassuringly.  
  
"Yes, I do, I want a second chance, but I don't know if she'll want me to be her mother now that I haven't been there for the first year of her life. She might be scared of me. I might not be a good mother to her....its just full of unknowns and maybes, and it scares me. I don't know what to do, but I know that whatever I do decide, I want Cole to be there by my side." Phoebe said, all in one breath.  
  
"If you want my advice, I'd say that you should go for it. Life is about taking risks, and Heaven knows that our lives are full of them. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, just follow your heart." Piper said, calmly and rationally.  
  
"Yeah, what she said!" Paige agreed enthusiastically.  
  
Phoebe took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. "I guess this means that I should tell Cole, huh? Damn, I was hoping I could put it off for awhile....Do you think that he'll be angry?"  
  
"No honey, I think that he'll support you in whatever you choose to do, and be with you every step of the way, helping in any way possible. We'll be there for you too, remember that always. We love you, and we'll help you carry any burden that we can." Paige said soothingly.  
  
Phoebe slowly walked upstairs to her bedroom, where Cole was waiting after just finishing his shower. She sat down on the bed and patted the space next to her, while preparing herself for what was to come. "Can we talk?" she asked him hesitantly.  
  
"Sure, is everything okay, baby?"  
  
"Yes, I just need to tell you something that I should've told you a long time ago..." Phoebe told him the entire story and then waited for his reaction. His face remained passive, so she tentatively said his name, trying to get him to talk to her.  
  
"Wow..." Cole said before he broke into a huge smile before asking, "Can we get her back?"  
  
"Yes, if you want to, I wasn't sure if you would, so I was hesitant to tell you because I want her back too." Phoebe replied.  
  
Cole let out a huge whoop and grabbed Phoebe in a bear hug, spinning her around. When they heard Cole yell, Piper and Paige had run into the room. When they saw the hug, they jumped in too, and everyone ended up in a pile on the floor.  
  
"Does this mean that we get to take a road trip?!" Paige asked excitedly.  
  
"That sounds awesome...lets take more than one car and then switch at stoplights!" Phoebe replied, the animation apparent on her face.  
  
"WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!! I'M GONNA HAVE A NIECE!!!!" Piper screamed happily. 


End file.
